Two people were injured by an explosion in a maintenance room Dec. 26 at Carmel High School.
Firefighters responded at approximately 6:20 p.m. after the explosion was reported in the northwest corner of the school on east Main Street. It occurred in a second-floor mechanical room where work was being performed. Firefighters climbed to the roof of the school to battle a small fire that they quickly extinguished.
Carmel Fire Dept. spokesman Tim Griffin said a school employee and contractor were performing maintenance work in the mechanical room and were relighting a heater when the explosion occurred. They were transported to Eskenazi Hospital with the extent of their injuries unknown. No other injuries have been reported.
“Immediately police, fire and the school worked together to make sure the school was evacuated,” Griffin said.
Students on campus were sent to the stadium locker rooms to wait for pickup.
CHS junior Hannah Leonard said the locker room “reeked like gas” after basketball practice ended at approximately 5:45 p.m.
“We all got out pretty quickly to go home, and on my way home I got the news of the explosion,” she said. “I am so thankful that my team made it out just minutes before the explosion, and I can’t begin to imagine how different it would’ve been if our practice went any later.”
All activities at the school have been canceled until further notice.
Reporter Riya Chinni contributed to this report.
